Archdeacon of Maidstone

The Archdeacon of Maidstone is an office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (one of the dioceses of the Province of Canterbury in the Church of England). The Archdeacon of Maidstone is an Anglican priest who oversees the Archdeaconry of Maidstone, which is one of three subdivisions of the diocese.

History[]

The archdeaconry was created from the ancient Archdeaconry of Canterbury by Order in Council on 4 June 1841.^[1]

Composition[]

The archdeaconry covers approximately the north-west and south-west corners of the diocese. As of 2012, the archdeaconry of Maidstone consists the following deaneries in the Diocese of Canterbury:

• Deanery of Maidstone
• Deanery of North Downs
• Deanery of Ospringe
• Deanery of Sittingbourne
• Deanery of the Weald

List of archdeacons[]

• 4 June 1841 – 1845 (res.): William Lyall
• 4 December 1845 – 25 March 1887 (d.): Benjamin Harrison
• 1887–26 March 1900 (d.): Benjamin Smith^[2][3]
• 1900–1921 (ret.): Henry Spooner^[4][5]
• 1921–1934 (res.): John Macmillan^[6] (also Bishop suffragan of Dover from 1927)^[7]
• 1934–1939 (res.): Karl Sopwith^[8]
• 1939–1942 (res.): Alexander Sargent^[9]
• 1942–1958 (ret.): Julian Bickersteth^{[10][11][12][13]}
• 1959–1965 (res.): Gordon Strutt^[14][15][16]
• 1965–1968 (res.): Michael Nott^[17][18]
• 1968–1972 (res.): Thomas Prichard^[19][20]
• 1972–1979 (ret.): Niel Nye^[21][22] (later archdeacon emeritus)^[23]
• 1979–1989 (res.): Michael Percival Smith^[24]
• 1989–2002 (res.): Patrick Evans^[25][26]
• 2002–13 March 2011 (res.): Philip Down^[27]
• 18 September 2011 – 27 September 2020 (res.): Stephen Taylor^[28][29] (on leave 2019–2020; became an Archdeacon without territory and Senior Chaplain to the Bishop of Dover)^[30]
• 27 September 2020 – present: Andrew Sewell^[30] (previously Acting, 30 November 2019^[31] – 31 May 2020)^[32]

References[]

Sources[]

• Horn, Joyce M. (1974), Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857, 3, p. 17